News @ Jains - Coca-Cola India and Jain Irrigation launch Unnati – A partnership Project with farmers for large scale High-Yield Mango Cultivation

Highlights :

• Project Unnati set to be a key milestone towards the large scale adoption of Ultra High Density farming Practice (UDHP) leveraging drip irrigation.
• Introduction of Ultra High Density Plantation will double the average mango yields
• Project Unnati has the potential to improve the livelihoods of more than 50,000 farmers in the next five years
• Farms under Project Unnati will also be used to showcase and train farmers on Ultra High Density Plantation under a joint capability building program led by Jain Irrigation and Coca-Cola University

Mumbai, Sept 14th, 2011 : Coca-Cola India and Jain Irrigation today announced the launch of Project "Unnati", - a unique partnership with farmers to demonstrate and enable adoption of Ultra-High Density Plantation (UHDP) practice for mangoes. The Project will encourage sustainable, modern agricultural practices and help double mango yields, thereby increasing the income of farmers. UHDP is a farming practice that leads to mango orchards attaining their full potential in 3-4 years and also allows nearly 600 trees to be planted in an acre instead of the conventional method of planting 40 trees in an acre.

Mr. Atul Singh, President and CEO, Coca-Cola India and South West Asia and Mr. Atul Jain, Joint Managing Director, Jain Irrigation Systems Ltd announced the launch of Project Unnati. Also present at the launch were Mr. Andriy Avramenko, Vice President Juice Beverages Coca-Cola India, Mr. Asim Parekh, Vice-President, Technical, Coca-Cola India and Mr. Sunil Deshpande, Executive Vice President, Jain Irrigation Systems Ltd.

During the first phase of this project, 200 demo farms of size between 1 and 3 acres will use the Ultra High Density Plantation (UHDP) technique for mango cultivation while also utilizing the benefits of drip irrigation. This will improve the annual income of farmers by improving yield/acre and simultaneously decrease the quantity of water used per kilo of mango produced. The first phase of the project has an investment outlay of more than USD 2 million and will be shared equally between Coca-Cola India and Jain Irrigation. Going forward, these demo farms will be used to showcase and train farmers on the technique and adoption of Ultra High Density Plantation practice under a joint capability building program under the aegis of Jain irrigation and Coca-Cola University. Coca-Cola University runs several training programs under its curriculum including the highly successful retailer training program – "Parivartan". This program has already trained more than 70,000 traditional retailers in the country, a result achieved through traditional classroom teaching as well as training inside a specially designed, customized bus to provide on-the-go training to traditional retailers.

 

Announcing the launch of the project, Mr. Atul Singh, President and CEO, Coca-Cola India and South West Asia said, "Project Unnati takes forward our partnership with farmers on sustainable agriculture practices by educating them and helping them adopt modern agricultural practices. This project not just makes good social sense but also makes great business sense given that packaged juice segment is a high growth category and by doing this project, we are in a way insuring ourselves towards the continuous supply of mango pulp. We are delighted to once again team up with Jain Irrigation, our largest mango pulp supplier, and leverage their expertise in the method of Ultra High Density in Mango Plantation on commercial scale."

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Atul Jain, Joint Managing Director, Jain Irrigation Systems Ltd, said, "Despite India contributing to 55 per cent of the worlds mango production, the productivity at our farms is one of the lowest in the world. The demand for mango has been ever increasing, both of the table as well as processable varieties, globally. The growing demand can only be addressed by increasing per acre yield of mangoes on a long term and sustainable basis. We are excited about this new partnership with Coca-Cola India, which builds on our existing relationship. Through this project, we hope to make a difference to the lives of more than 50,000 farmers over a period of five years. What is also unique to the project is our capability building program for farmers, which will have a cascading effect on the adoption of this modern farming practice across the country".

The first phase of Project Unnati will begin with ultra-high-density mango farming in select farms in Chittoor and Cudappa districts of Andhra Pradesh. The area is renowned for its production of the Totapuri Mango - a key ingredient in India’s largest selling mango drink – Maaza.

It is estimated that the demand for packaged mango based beverages is set to increase consistently over the coming years. However, the area under mango cultivation is not growing at the same rate. Ultra high density mango plantation is a viable solution and can be undertaken in all regions where mangoes are grown traditionally. This process requires mango grafts of commercial varieties planted close to each other. Special techniques of pruning, fertigation, irrigation and growth promotion leads to the well-rounded growth of mango orchards with sufficient number of branches and shoots. Special care for nutrition management and pest control are also undertaken. Together, these modern techniques are expected to enhance the produce by as high as 200% compared to traditional plantation methods.

More about Ultra High Density Plantation (UHDP):

In traditional mango cultivation, trees are allowed to grow as high as possible; they are pruned minimally or not at all. In UHDP, canopy is maintained in such a way to attain maximum light interception and canopy volume per unit area in early years of plantation. This leads in the orchard to attain full potential in 3-4 years. The UHDP would allow 600 trees to be planted in an acre instead of just the conventional 40 trees to an acre. The gestation period in UHDP is less and the farmer starts earning money in the early years as UHDP orchards start commercial bearing from the 3rd year onwards against the 7 to 9 years required in traditional planting.

About Coca-Cola in India

The Coca-Cola Company has always placed high value on good citizenship. At the heart of business is a mission statement called the Coca-Cola Promise. It says, quite simply, that” The Coca-Cola Company exists to benefit and refresh everyone who is touched by our business". This basic proposition means – that the company’s business should refresh the markets, protect, preserve and enhance the environment and strengthen the community. Coca-Cola India provides extensive support for community programs across the country, with a focus on education, health and water conservation and has already undertaken over 500 RWH structures in 22 states of the country.

For further information on Company India operations and its products, please visit www.coca-colaindia.com

About Jain Irrigation -
Jain Irrigation Systems Ltd. (JISL), headquartered in India, is the largest manufacturer of irrigation systems worldwide and a leading processor of fruits and vegetables – including the world’s largest producer of pureed mangos and the third-largest producer of dehydrated onions. Over the years, JISL has expanded its food processing business to include banana, guava, pomegranate, aonlas, papaya and tomato. The company has establishments in India, Middle East, Europe and the USA. Within India, JISL is the largest provider of micro-irrigation systems (MIS) – with a 55% share of the drip irrigation market and a 35% share of the sprinkler market. Centered on agriculture, JISL’s business model makes a full circle through the entire value chain. The company provides farmers with the means to produce more and better crops through its MIS, seeds, and other inputs and then purchases fruits and vegetables through its food processing division, which processes them and sells them to export and domestic markets. In this way, Jain’s inclusive business reaches farmers both as consumers of its MIS products and other inputs and as suppliers of fruits and vegetables for its food processing operations.